As consumers continue to wait patiently for the Surface Pro to launch in the UK, Microsoft has kicked off an interesting deal for its Surface RT Windows 8 tablets. Should you look to purchase one from the official online store or supporting retailers, the company will hand you a free Touch or Type cover per transaction.

Purchases of Surface RT standalone or in a bundle between May 15th and June 30th will be eligible for the offer. This deal will only continue while stocks last, so be sure to get in quick if interested. Head on down to your local retailer or to Surface.com to make your purchase and get the free cover. Thanks, Mark, for the tip!

How difficult would it be for staff and editors on this site to stop and do even basic proofreading before posting supposed news? There is not now, nor wiill there ever be, a Surface RT Windows 8 tablet. Surface RT runs Windows RT NOT Windows 8. They share a common interface and considerable code but Windows RT is not Windows 8. They are two separate operating systems. The fact that people on this site still get that wrong is absolutely embarrassing.

I shall return my Surface+touchcover and extra type cover to John lewis tomorrow (god bless their 90 day no questions returns policy) and buy it back £130 cheaper :-D
Personally I can't stand the touch cover, partly because I am a fast typer, but mostly because touching rough fabric like that makes my spine shiver, so typing it horrible and using the track pad is out of the question :-D
Yes it may be a bit pikey to return it and buy it again, but the store is only 3 minutes drive from my office, and there's no harm :-)

Oh, and although I hate the touch cover, I still think it's better to buy from John lewis, as they give you a 2 year warranty, whereas the other sellers only give you 1 year. They don't sell them without the touch cover, but you're essentially paying £75 for an extended warranty and getting a free touch cover. Extended warranties in the other stores are £75. So it just works out better in JL.

At the expense of sounding cheap and selfish, I really think Microsoft should have made the covers a lot less expensive. I just bought an RT and while its a wonderful device, the covers are kind of the point of the surface's existence. Having to tack on an extra $120 bucks for that kind of makes me feel like they're just taking advantage of the people whom they know will get the surface anyway.

I purchased the Lumia 920 in November and shortly after they had a $50 rebate, which I couldn't convince phone support to give me (though I took a shot). And recently, AT&T sold the 920 for free with 2 year contract (now back to $100 price). That's the price we pay for early adoption. Literally.